Stolen Memories
by RenesmeeCullenFan
Summary: Post Booth's infamous "Who are you?", now totally AU. Booth slowly regains what is rightfully his - his stolen memories. BACK FROM HIATUS. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1: Who are you?

**Stolen Memories  
by RenesmeeCullenFan**

**Summary:** Picks up where the Season 4 finale left off. After Booth's now famous amnesia, Tempe decides to take him in. This single action cultivates a series of events that will eventually change their lives forever. B/B, and a little smidgen of Hodgela. Lots of fluff! Contains spoilers.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, still don't own Bones.

* * *

**Stolen Memories  
Chapter 1**

"Who are you?" He looks at her blindly, suspicion in his eyes.

The one scenario she could never have imagined. How can it be? No, she won't believe it.

"Booth, please, don't joke." She says softly, barely a whisper.

* * *

He doesn't remember her. It wasn't a joke.

And that look. Suspicion. Never before had she seen him look at her like that, and she never thought she would.

"I'll…I'll just go get the doctor." She says, and he nods before returning his attention to the fruit basket near him from the F.B.I, desperately willing for something to appear in his mind. His empty mind.

She closes the door behind her lightly, and heads off to the restroom. She fishes out her phone and calls the one person that she could rely on now.

"Sweetie, do you even know what time it is now?" Ange's voice comes through, and she can't hold back the sob that's been desperately trying to surface ever since those three little words.

"Ange." She says, her voice dry and timid, like a little girl's.

"Bren, what's wrong?" The other woman queries as she hops out of bed and throws on some decent clothes. "It's Booth, isn't it? He's awake…Bren, is he awake?"

"Ange, you don't get it," She says, completely lost. "Booth…he doesn't…he can't…" She trails off, lost for words. Exactly how much can you reveal through the phone? She wonders.

"Bren, you're making me nervous." Angela says, and behind her, there's a faint rumbling as she starts the engine of her car.

"Booth…can't remember me." She says finally, with a sigh of resentment. "I knew that it was a possibility, that anything could happen, but Ange, do you know what the three first words he spoke to me were?"

" 'I love you'? " She hazards a guess.

"No, Ange," The woman says, distraught. " 'Who are you?' That's what he said to me."

Angela gasps. " Sweetie, call the doctor. I'm on my way."

Wordlessly, she hangs up the phone and proceeds to find the doctor. She explains the current situation to the doctor, and slowly makes her way back to his room, forgetting about the tearstains that streaked her face.

He looks up as she enters the room, once more lightly closing the door behind her, and notices the forgotten tearstains.

"Hey," His says, concern evident in his voice. "I might not know you, but I can make out that we're close, so why were you crying?" He asks, unaware of the impact of his words.

Seeing the warmth, the care, the concern in his being, she just can't take it anymore. Neither can she hold back the floodgates. She sinks down on the chair that has been her home for the last four days, and rests her head on his chest, silently sobbing. He welcomes this action, and soothingly pats her small back, like so many times before.

* * *

Six months.

Or never.

That's what the doctor tells them. Booth has retrograde amnesia, because some stupid, reckless surgical resident had screwed up one of his nerves, and he would either get his memory back within six months…or never.

The first month was especially vital, the doctor had said. Any indicators of his memory returning, or even short flashbacks, would have to happen within that short period.

And it better, because as a wise man, (whom I believe to be Shakespeare) once said- Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, especially Temperance Brennan.

Booth is forced to stay for another three days before he can be discharged, and for three days, for those confusing, hazy seventy-two hours, she never leaves his side. Not even once.

Once or twice, he's questioned the very nature of their relationship, and she finds herself at a loss for words.

Temperance Brennan at a loss for words. Booth would have enjoyed that, had he not been the cause.

Finally, Angela takes the situation into her own hands, and Booth settles for the explanation that they were making the transition from best friends to a couple.

* * *

Finally, the doctor gives them the green light, and Booth is discharged. The doctor advices that he shouldn't be left alone, and she offers to take him in. After all, as she'd said when he'd asked her why, Booth would have done the same thing for her.

* * *

Which explains exactly why a few hours later, with a minor detour at Booth's in which Angela and Booth stay in the car while Temperance quickly packs some essentials for Booth, the duo are left alone in her apartment, with awkwardness snaking around them.

It used to be sexual tension, and now it's awkwardness. Jeez, isn't that ironic?

* * *

**Okay people, that's Chapter One, and I've gotten as far as 3, so expect a new update every day.**

**May '09**


	2. Chapter 2: Night of Sobs and 'Bones'

**Stolen Memories  
by RenesmeeCullenFan**

**A/N:** As I said, updates are daily! What did you guys think of the first chapter? Pretty please, let me know!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Bones, B/B would have got their act together after the Kenton case, and Tessa, David, Sully- total strangers. So, no, I don't own Bones.

* * *

**Stolen Memories  
Chapter 2**

The rest of the day flies by as Temperance helps Booth to settle in. Much later, they bond over dinner, which is her famous Mac&Cheese. He claims to feel a certain twinge at the taste, as if it's a distant memory, locked up somewhere.

That night, she hauls out a box full of various paraphernalia, and explains that this was how she'd dealt when he 'died', which quickly turns into a detailed explanation about Pam and the shooting.

By the end, Temperance's cheeks are quite damp, and his eyes have softened. So they spend the night going through the 'Booth Box', as she calls it, and relieve a single event associated to each item.

By the end of the night, the only items left unexplained are Jasper and Brainy Smurf, and she half-heartedly promises to tell him the story of her figurine collection some other time. They say their goodnights and head to their individual rooms, and all is peaceful and calm.

Except for the fact that he can't go to sleep…and moments later, the sound of her quiet sobbing rings through the apartment.

It hurt so much, to have him back…and yet, not back. It makes no sense, yet it makes all the sense in the world to her. To have him sitting right next to her, listening attentively as she relieves a certain event significant to their relationship…it just isn't right. Booth was strong, and reliable, and the type of person she'd go to when she was feeling lost. But now, the only reason she was feeling lost was because of his loss, which once again, makes all the sense in the world to her, however confusing to others.

After listening to her quiet sobbing for nearly four hours, and her gasping for breath for one, he decides to go to her, because as wrong and inappropriate as it may be, something was pulling him to her. It was telling him to just let it all go, and climb into bed with her, and hold her and say comforting things to her until she stopped crying.

And that's exactly what he does, because amnesia or no amnesia, Seeley Booth is a heart person, and he always listens to his heart.

* * *

The next day, the whole Squint Squad comes to visit, and one by one, they get re-acquainted with him, each explaining their history.

His sharp senses quickly catch on, and he queries the whereabouts of Zack, her grad student. She mumbles some incoherent excuse, and leaves for the kitchen. Angela follows suit, and Cam, Jack, and Sweets are left to explain Zack's actions.

* * *

"Sweetie, how are you holding up?" Angela asks softly, trailing behind Temperance into the kitchen. Temperance takes out two glasses and fills them with water, handing one to Angela.

"Ange, this is killing me." She says simply, taking a sip of her water.

"I knew it would, Bren. Why won't you just let us take care of him? I'm sure Jack would be willing to have Booth over at his place."

"No, Ange; I'm the only constant so far, and moving him will cause disorientation." She stresses.

"Okay…so, what happened last night?"

"Last night is what's killing me, Ange." She sighs.

"Sweetie!" The artist gasps. "Did you get in some anonymous action last night?" She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"What?" The distressed woman asks incredulously. "No, Ange! Can you please take a break from your life mission of getting me and Booth together?"

"Okay, but you gotta tell me what happened yesterday."

"I took out the box," She says, her voice trembling.

"Oh…sweetie…" She says compassionately.

"And I explained the presence of each token." She pauses for a moment. "It all went really well, but after that, when I thought he was asleep, I just couldn't help it, Ange-I started crying." She says, her eyes welling up. "And I tried to stop myself…but I couldn't."

The women meet eyes briefly, and Temperance continues.

"But suddenly, the next thing I know is Booth climbing into bed and holding me and telling me that everything would turn out okay." A stray tear escapes her eyes and trickles down her cheek, followed by more.

"It was just like everything _was_ okay, Angela. I even fooled myself into believing that everything was okay, and this was just another night when Booth stayed over because I was having some emotional break-down…"

Angela puts up a hand. "Okay, sweetie, I get that this is very important, but I just have to butt in…What the hell did you just say? Booth normally stays over?"

"Ange, it's nothing; Booth always stays over…I think it started sometime after my mother's case."

The artist shakes her head sadly. "And there I was, trying to get you to together," She whispers hoarsely. "When you two are pretty much like a married couple."

"Ange…" The other woman trails off, tears running freely on her cheeks. She envelopes Angela in a hug, and a few moments later, the two emerge from the kitchen.

"You mean that he murdered someone?" Booth asks no one in particular. He turns to her. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"I…I didn't want to put too much information on you." She murmurs.

The rest off the world melts away as the two partners stare at each other, like so often before. The others hastily come up with various excuses, and leave, not that either of them notices.

Understanding downs on his features as the door is closed. "You were afraid that it was too soon."

She nods, and they part to get ready for their 'couple's therapy', the first after this…incident.

* * *

"Agent Booth, Doctor Brennan, please, take a seat." Sweets says as he ushers them onto his office.

"Thank you, Doctor Sweets." Booth says politely as he sits down, and both Temperance and Sweets freeze in their tracks.

"What did you just say?" Temperance asks as the young doctor hastily begins to insert a videotape into the player located near to his desk.

"Doctor Sweets." He says simply, as if it was the most logical and normal thing in the world. Which to others, it might have been, but to the team, it just reminded them of what had happened. She chokes back tears and sits down on the couch, but this time, closer to him than before. It was as if they were practically leaning into each other.

She chokes back another wave of tears as she recognizes the video. It's from New Year's last year, when they all attended the Jeffersonian New Year's Party.

His face appears on the screen, charm smile in full effect. "Hey Bones!" He calls, and the camera shifts to show Temperance, smiling widely at him. "Care to dance with me?"

She accepts, and they make their way to the dance floor, when all of a sudden, the song changes into a slow, romantic ballad. She glances at Angela, who winks mischievously.

Presently, she turns to face him, and he stares at her.

"Bones?" He asks, and her heart jumps, because just for a moment, one moment, she thinks that he remembers…but then she figures out that he's just questioning the nickname, and her heart breaks into a million pieces all over again.

"You started calling me that because of my work, which is associated to bones. At first I protested, but over the years, it became normal. That was the only way you ever addressed me, except for the occasional 'Temperance'."

He nods. "So," he starts uncertainly. "Can I call you 'Bones'?"

She knows that it'll only cause her more heartbreak, for him to call her that, and yet remember nothing, but it may aid his recovery, so she bravely nods. Sweets watches this interaction with great interest and wonder. He knows that this must hurt like hell for Doctor Brennan, but she doesn't mind anyway, because it might help his recovery.

They finish the video, and Sweets calls it quits for the day. They swing by Cullen's office, and Booth is granted one month's paid leave, and even Cullen can see the hurt in Temperance's eyes, which is reflected in his own as Booth addresses him as 'Mr. Cullen'.

* * *

They drive, well, she drives back to her apartment, and they settle in.

"Bones." He calls from his room, and she feels a pang, like a stake driven into her heart. Yet, she keeps up a brave face and follows his voice.

"Yes?" She asks as she enters the room.

"Do we have children?" He asks, and it almost catches her off-guard. Oh God, she thinks miserably, Parker. She clears her throat and awkwardly sits next to him on his bed.

"Well, it's clear that we don't have any children together, but do I have any kids?" He asks again, looking at her, questions in his eyes.

"You have a son." She begins in a soft voice. She takes his hand in hers and squeezes it, and he squeezes back, unlike in the hospital. He nods excitedly, prompting her for more.

"His name is Parker, and he's the most adorable, energetic boy ever." She says affectionately. "You never did marry Rebecca, his mother," She explains. "And you get him every weekend." At this his smile falls a little, but only a little.

"When do I get to see him?" He asks finally.

She thinks hard for a moment. It's never too early to introduce him to his son, is it? "How's tomorrow?" She says finally. "I'm not sure, but I'll call Rebecca." He nods and she heads out of the room to make the call.

Ten minutes later, she comes in again, with a smile on her face. "We get to see him for three hours tomorrow after school."

"But Booth?" She starts. He nods. "Just gently explain to him that you had a little 'accident' and that your brain's kinda messed up, so you can't really remember anything for now, but you will soon." She sees the question in his eyes. "So that he won't get hurt." She explains, and almost adds, _like me_.

She gets up, and is almost out of the door before she pauses and turns around. "Oh, and by the way, you call him 'Bub' and 'Parks'." She says before heading out.

"Thanks, Bones!" He calls after here. She stops in her tracks, and heads back to her room, holding back her sobs until she's safely locked in her room, and calls Angela, who promises to be right over.

* * *

A few moments later, he hears the door being opened, and Bones ushering someone in, which, judging by the voice, is probably Angela.

He hears them sit in the kitchen, and for a moment even considers tiptoeing out to eavesdrop. But he decided against it, because he can hear everything right from his room, thanks to his alert senses.

He hears the whole conversation, about how much it hurts to have him back, and yet not back, and how she thinks that she's committing suicide doing this, but that if she doesn't, she'd be worried sick.

Finally, at around two, Hodgins, the 'bug and slime guy', as he introduced himself, comes to take Angela back, and after they're gone, he hears Bones crying herself to sleep.

He yearns to do the exact same thing like last night, but stops himself, because in one of their many conversations, she mentioned this to Angela, and he knows just how much it hurts.

On the plus side, he's also found out quite a few interesting things about their relationship…like how he used to sleep over when she was feeling down.

Oh well, better than nothing, right?

* * *

**Thanks to my two reviewers, and for those lurkers, please, just let me know what you think! Before I started writing, I felt oddly perplexed by most writers' addiction to reviews, but what can I say?**

**May '09**


	3. Chapter 3:Parker,Wong Foo's and Flashes

**Stolen Memories**

**by RenesmeeCullenFan**

**A/N:** Good grief…how many days has it been? How many countless hours have passed by since I last had the luxury to hear the humming sound of the computer, the tapping of the keyboard…How many excruciating seconds since my stupid computer broke down?

**DISCLAIMER:** I'm actually Hart Hanson's boss, and I own this thing…bla bla bla. AS IF!

* * *

**Stolen Memories**

**Chapter 3**

He's going to meet his son.

In approximately ten minutes.

And he's not ready. AT ALL.

"Bones!" he calls, and she rushes into the living room where she left him with the TV, spatula in hand.

"Is everything okay?" She asks, glancing around the room.

"Yeah, sure…"Booth says sheepishly. "I was just wondering…what do I usually talk about with Parker?"

She shrugs. "I don't know…sports…cartoons…what he does at school." She trails off, ticking items off her fingers.

He shoots her a panicked look. "I can't do this." He says suddenly. "What if everything's different, and I hurt his feelings?"

She smiles. "Don't worry, Booth; I'm sure everything will turn out just fine. Now, come on, dinner's almost ready." She says, leading the way into the kitchen.

* * *

Precisely five minutes later, the doorbell rings, and they head to the door.

"Ready?" Temperance asks, looking Booth in the eye. He nods. She opens the door, and an excited five-year-old barrels into her, almost knocking her down.

"Dr. Bones!" Parker shouts, and she smiles. Rebecca isn't in sight, and Temperance is worried.

"Parker," She starts. "Where's your mother?"

"Oh," Parker waves his hands dismissively. "She said that she was late and Captain Fantastic was getting impatient, so I came up myself."

Temperance gasps. How could Rebecca do that? Just that moment, her phone rings, and it's Rebecca, checking to see if Parker's alright.

* * *

There's been a change of plans, and Parker ends up sleeping over. They get settled in for dinner, and for the first time, Booth feels nervous as Temperance leaves the room and he's left alone with Parker. With his son.

"Hi." He begins nervously.

"Daddy, why did you say 'Hi'?" Parker asks, confused. "We met at the door." Before Booth can explain, he adds in, "Or is this because you banged your head and it isn't working properly and you can't remember anything?"

"Actually, Parker, I mean, Bub," He quickly corrects himself. "Daddy's had a little accident, so I can't really remember anything."

Parker gasps. Booth gulps and gets ready to tell him the truth. "So…you can't even remember Finding Nemo? Like how Dori forgot things all the time?"

What the hell is Finding Nemo? And who's Dori? Booth finds himself thinking. "Actually, Parks, I can't remember anything."

"Not even…me?" Parker squeaks.

Booth doesn't even need to nod; Parker starts crying. "Oh, Parker, don't be so sad. Come here." He extends his hands and lets the little boy climb into his lap by parental instinct. "Like I said, I had a little accident, and right now, I can't remember anything. I can't even remember Bones." He adds as an afterthought.

Parker looks up at him. "You can't even remember Doctor Bones?" He asks. Booth nods. "Well, I guess it's okay then. But you'll remember again, someday, right?"

"Yes, Parks. I'm sure I will."

Temperance chooses this moment to clear her throat and bring in dinner, and the three eat peacefully.

After dinner, she lets Parker watch one of his DVDs that he brought along, and halfway through the movie, both Parker and Temperance are asleep.

Booth sighs and carries Parker into the second guest room, and returns to find her lying down, but awake. Her eyes seem damp, and immediately, he knows that she's crying.

"Hey." He says softly, sinking into the sofa.

"Hey." She mutters back, closing her eyes to stop the tears and wiping her face under the pretext of stretching.

"Temperance," He stops her, and holds her hands. "You don't need to act. I know why you're crying." He whispers.

"I'm okay," She says, heading into the kitchen, clearing up. He stands there, helpless to do anything. He knows that he should follow her in, and make her confess everything, but he also knows that she can't be forced, so instead, he decides to call it a night.

He follows her into the kitchen, fakes a yawn, and stretches his body. "Think I'll call it a night. G'night, Bones."

"Good night, Booth." She says, her back to him, as he retreats to his room, unaware of the tears slowly, silently streaming down her face.

* * *

The next morning, they drop Parker off at Rebecca's after breakfast, and she drives him to his place for the first time since the amnesia.

She lets him in with her key after he expresses shock at her possessing the key to his place. She shrugs.

"You have mine too."

She quickly gives him a brief tour, trying to jog his memory. At last, when nothing seems to surface, he sits down on the couch as she collects some of his personal memorabilia to bring back to her place.

* * *

They stop by her place to drop off all the stuff, and make their way to Wong Foo's for lunch. She waits expectantly at the door as he walks in, hoping for some sort of flash.

Nada.

She lets out a disappointed sigh and leads him to 'his' bar. She smiles as she recalls that memory.

"What can I get y'guys?" Sid asks, coming by.

"Hi, Sid." Temperance says. "Booth, this is Sid. He owns this place." She explains.

"Okay, lady, I don't know what's wrong, but why are you introducing me to good 'ol Seeley here?" Sid asks, perplexed.

"Umm, haven't you heard?" Temperance asks quietly. Sid shakes his head. "Booth has amnesia." She says.

To call the look on his face 'shock' would be purely underrated.

They finish their lunch with their usual banter and bickering, and head back to her place, where they spend the rest of the evening going through his stuff, but with no luck. She's almost considering giving up. One week later, and no flash at all. But she doesn't, because she knows that's what Booth would do. He would never give up.

At last, after dinner, and some TV, they decide to call it a night.

Just as they say their goodnights, he zones out on her, and she stops. "Booth, are you okay?" She asks, concerned, running to his side. But he remains silent.

After a moment, his whole face lights up.

"Brainy Smurf, because Smurfette is shallow, and Jasper because you'd always wanted a pig." He whispers hoarsely.

She's near tears as he envelopes her in an embrace.

"I remember, Bones. I remember that much." He whispers, holding on to her. "And I'll remember much more…soon."

That night, they stay up the whole night as she tells him tales of their first few cases, and occasionally, he gets a flash of that memory.

It isn't much, but surely, it'll get better over time, Temperance thinks.

* * *

**Okay, so it isn't much, but I promise, more is on the way!**

**June '09**


	4. Chapter 4: Pie, Fries and Babies

**Stolen Memories**

**by RenesmeeCullenFan**

**A/N:** So glad to see that I haven't lost ALL of my reviewers. Love love love you guys!

**DISCLAIMER:** So, umm…Yeah, don't own it…(possible yet)…who knows?

* * *

**Stolen Memories**

**Chapter 4**

Temperance drives Booth to the hospital for his check-up, and after a few tests, his doctor declares that he will get his memory back, in time.

They're both left confused by the 'in time' part, and the doctor explains that it might take up to years for him to fully regain his memories. But based on how much had come back last night, he was pretty sure it wouldn't take any longer than a year.

* * *

"Sweetie! What are you doing here?" Angela asks, walking down the platform to greet the partners.

"We're just here to pick up a few things from my office," Temperance says. "And hopefully jog some of Booth's memory." She smiles.

"Ooh, is he having flashbacks?" Angela asks excitedly. Temperance nods, beaming happily at her.

Meanwhile, Booth is looking around the whole lab, astounded by its standards and size. He walks up the platform in amazement, and before long, the alarm's ringing. Temperance rushes up to swipe her card and Angela apologizes to the guards. Temperance asks if he's okay, but Booth's already zoned out.

_He's walking up the platform, talking to her. The others try to warn him, but before he can understand what they're trying to say, the damn alarm goes off._

_He asks her for a key card._

_He declares the bar as 'his' and gets annoyed when she comes over, asking her what part of 'mine' didn't she understand. She hands him a box, which contains his own card. She leaves him sitting there, feeling like a selfish jerk._

Booth starts with a gasp as though he's just surfaced from underwater and her eyes are so full with concern that he can feel a distant memory somewhere, but he just can't unlock it…yet.

"You gave me a key." He says simply, and she nods, smiling. Clearly the decision to bring him to the lab was a good one. She just hoped that the next location would prove to be as helpful as this one.

They stop by to say hello to everyone and take some of her case files from her office, and he remembers drinking shots with her one late night after a case.

* * *

Their next stop is the diner, and, for the first time in history, he doesn't order a slice of pie. He orders an American burger and a plate of fries, and she has her usual, as the waitress is left astounded at the lack of pie. She even double-checks.

"So, that's two cups of coffee, one American burger, a plate of fries, and a salad. Are you sure that's all?" She asks, looking at the partners. They nod. "No pie?"

"Why on Earth would we want pie?" He asks, and she rolls her eyes, blaming it on the ever-changing attitude of long-time customers.

Their order arrives, and as usual, she snatches a few fries from his plate. But instead of rolling his eyes and asking her why she doesn't just order her own plate, he pushes it to the center and tells her to help herself. She politely declines, as for the first time in many days, it hits her on how much he's changed. How much _they've_ changed.

She messes up her salad, yet doesn't even take so much as a bite. He tells her to eat; it isn't healthy to skip meals; and she has to excuse herself to the washroom as she struggles to contain her tears because these few moments have brought up so many issues that built up their relationship.

She goes back to the table, and out of habit, snatches another fry.

"Now, Bones, I still don't get it. Why on Earth do you still insist on stealing my fries?" He says, pouting and rolling his eyes.

The fry makes it halfway up to her mouth before dropping on the table. Just then, the waitress serves a slice of pie, and his eyes twinkle with delight. "Hey, Bones, think today's the day that I get you to eat pie?" He asks mischievously, and she can feel her eyes welling up.

"No way, Booth." She whispers hoarsely, overcome with emotions…relief, happiness…it all comes rushing through her.

They finish their meal, and he insists on paying, and for once in their 'Diner History', she relents. Because she's just too happy.

* * *

They sit next to each other on the sofa, watching reruns of The X Files, and he gets a flash of the time when he'd told her that they were like Scully and Mulder, and she's told him she didn't understand that. That was early days, the first case that marked the beginning of their partnership; the best thing that ever happened to them.

"Hey, Temperance." He says as the credits start.

"Hmm?" She…hums, content with curling up on him.

"I just had a flashback."

She immediately sits up straight, and looks him straight in the eye.

He clears his throat awkwardly as she waits for his recount. "This is kinda awkward," He says, wincing. "But…were we talking about having a baby?"

This time, she jolts up straight from the couch, and starts pacing. "That's great news, Booth!" She says, purposely avoiding his question. "We had that talk less than a week before your surgery! The doctor said the newer the memories, the quicker you'll get your memories back." She rambles, still trying to avoid his question. He pulls her back on the sofa, and spins her to face him.

"Bones, please, just tell me." He pleads, and he looks so helpless that she immediately caves in.

"Yes, Booth," She says quietly. "We were planning to have a baby."

He nods and smiles at her, then pulls her closer to him.

They keep silent as they cuddle up in front of the TV, but instead of the awkward silence that most would expect, this was their kind of silence. The comfortable silence.

The partner kind of silence.

* * *

**And we're off!**

**Remember, review, review, review! Give me ideas! I've had the whole plot written out, but I can still slip in small things…like tell me what flashback you'd like Booth to have next.**

**June '09**


	5. Chapter 5:Gravedigger and Mistletoe

**Stolen Memories  
by RenesmeeCullenFan**

**A/N:** Wow! I was blown away by my last batch of reviewers! Hope that I managed to get a reply out to everyone, and to those that I didn't, thanks all the same!

**DISCLAIMER:** Nah, not yet…

* * *

**Stolen Memories  
Chapter 5**

It's two weeks later, and miraculously, Booth has regained all of his childhood memory. Doctors are amazed at his recovery, and family and friends were just overjoyed.

But the only thing nibbling away at the edge of Temperance's brain is that he hasn't had a single flashback of the two of them ever since he started getting flashbacks of his childhood.

He was beginning to become Booth again, flashing his charm smile at every chance he got, wearing flashy ties and all the usual Booth things.

The doctor had cleared him to live on his own, but, stupid as it was, he didn't want to leave…not yet. So he'd kept it from Bones…and slowly, it was as if he was gradually moving into her place.

Somehow, his entire tie collection had ended up at her place, as had his socks. Tokens and photo frames from his place lined her walls, and as the days grew, his apartment just kept getting emptier.

* * *

The Jeffersonian holds their annual benefactors party, and this time, even Hodgins makes an appearance.

The partners, well, who else would they go with if not each other?

So, at 8, on the dot, they arrive, and as they walk by a few groups to head towards their table, some conversations are abruptly stopped. People start murmuring things, though she has no idea what, and she can see Booth get awkward. She feels a surge of anger at these people, and is almost about to tell them off, but then, she feels a squeeze on her hand, and she looks up to his reassuring glance and his charm smile. She smiles back at him, and finally, they reach the table.

A while later, everyone's left to either dance or sneak off to watch the soccer match in the conference room, which Hodgins set up, and their the only two left at their table.

Suddenly, Booth abruptly stops mid-sentence, and Temperance recognizes the look in his eyes.

A moment later, he seems to return, and looks at her for a long while, before finally speaking.

"The Gravedigger." He says simply, looking at her. She looks at him in shock.

"He got you…and Hodgins," He elaborates. "And it was all my fault. I was supposed to protect you, and yet, he got you." He's near to tears, and she puts a reassuring hand on his.

"We got away." She says.

"And so did he." He says, disgusted.

"Booth, don't you remember?" She asks, surprised. She expected him to remember the whole incident, not just part of it.

"Remember what?"

"Well, just a few months ago…he…" She stops, reluctant to tell him the truth, but carries on anyway. "He got to you." He sucks in a breath. "But that's how we got him in the end. The Gravedigger's over, Booth, it's over."

"But…I remember now…something to do with water…and…oh my God, was that Teddy?" He asks in shock. She nods sadly.

"That's when your hallucinations started. But we didn't find out about the tumor until much later."

He nods, and glances at the dancing floor. She follows his glance, and, out of curiosity, asks if he would like to dance. He declines, saying that he's tired, and she tells him that they can probably leave now, since they've been there for nearly two hours. He nods, and they swing by her office to grab a few things.

* * *

"Wait a minute." He says, stopping in front of her office door as they're on their way out. She spins back to face him, curiosity etched into her face.

"Mistletoe," He says brightly. "We kissed under mistletoe. Right here…last year, I think."

Her cheeks are on fire. Why did he have to remember that at this moment? She clears her throat. "Yes," She starts. "We did kiss under mistletoe last year, so that my dad could celebrate Christmas."

"What do you mean? Meaning that it wasn't out of our own free will?" He asks, incredulous.

"Nope," She says. "We, or rather, I, was blackmailed by Caroline. The state attorney." She adds after his blank look. She carefully edits out the part of him wanting to talk to Caroline, but her forcefully refusing. At the time, she'd convinced herself that it was just because she had wanted it to be settled as soon as possible, but over time, she'd realized that she had actually wanted to kiss him, puckish attorney or not.

His face seems to fall, and she spots a flicker of disappointment, but it's gone before she can question him.

"Let's go back." He says, placing his hand on her small back, as usual. For a moment, they're both taken aback. "I'm sorry," He mumbles, taking his hand away. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Booth," She says, looking at him. "Look at me." She guides his hand back to her back. "That's a good thing."

He looks blown away, baffled. "What?"

"You used to do it all the time. At first, I protested, but over time, it just climbed on me, like Bones."

"Grew on me, Bones, grew." He says, rolling his eyes. Her eyes are welling up, and he looks at her in alarm. "What? What did I say wrong?"

"Nothing." She says, looking at him. "Nothing at all." And so, hand on back, they walk to the parking lot.

"You know, Bones," He suddenly speaks up. "You seem to give into me an awful lot. Bones, hands…what else is there?" He smirks.

"Well, that's for you to remember." She says, smirking back at him.

* * *

"Hey, have any of you guys seen Bren? Or even Booth, for that matter?" Angela asks, concerned at the sudden disappearance of her friends. A few months ago, she'd be squealing and smiling to herself if something like this happened, because she'd assume that they'd gotten their act together. But now, she is worried for Booth.

"I don't know," Hodgins says. "Maybe they've gone back."

"Well," Angela says, "Bren isn't picking up her cell, and neither is Booth. I'm worried."

"Then just go and check on them, Angie." Hodgins says, eyes still glued to the screen in front of him. Angela rolls her eyes and turns on her heel, walking out.

"Maybe I'll do just that." She says to herself.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Angela is opening the door to Temperance's apartment, cautiously sticking her head in first, then gradually, the rest of her.

"Hello?" She calls out. "Anyone there? Bren?"

So imagine her surprise when she stumbles into the living room, only to see the two sleeping together on the couch, entwined in each other, sleeping peacefully.

She holds back a squeal, and slowly makes her way out of the apartment, locking the door behind her. As she makes her way down to her car, she whips out her cell and speed dials Hodgins.

"Hey, Hodgie?" She says as he picks up. "You'll never guess what I just saw…" She says with a smile not unlike the one of a Cheshire cat.

* * *

**Aww…**

**So, just to recap: Jeffersonian party, Gravedigger, mistletoe…and fluff.**

**Everyone happy? I sure hope so!**

**June '09**


	6. Chapter 6:Burning Away My Demons

**Finally, I'm back in New York. God, I could just kiss the soil in Central Park!**

**And yes…I'm back on . Here's the final two chapters I figure this fic (and you amazing readers) deserve. And it's sorta a Valentine's prezzie to you guys for being so amazing back then.**

**Burning Away My Demons – 14.2.11**

**A Year Without Rain– 15.2.11**

**Oh, and guys?**

**It's so good to be back.**

_**T**_**.**

**

* * *

**

STOLEN MEMORIES

**Chapter 6 : Burning Away My Demons**

Brennan wakes up to a sweating, shivering Booth, slowly burning up next to her. She lightly presses the back of her hand against his slick forehead and swears, jumping up from the couch.

"Shit, shit, shit." She hisses as she walks up and down, piling blankets on Booth, changing into something decent and calling Angela.

"_Sweetie, you gotta stop doing this. I need my sleep._" A groggy Angela greets.

"Ange, meet me at the hospital." Brennan orders, stuffing her keys and ID in her jacket pocket and slipping her feet into a pair of flats.

Angela gasps. "_Oh God, Bren, what's wrong?_"

Brennan stops her whirlwind rush for a moment, taking in the scene in front of her, inhaling sharply. Reality hits her straight in her heart as she finally admits what's wrong.

"It's Booth."

* * *

Getting Booth into her car is no easy feat, and she's glad for all the self-defense classes she'd kept taking even after his relentless teasing.

She hasn't the heart to wake him up, so she props him upright and slowly helps him shuffle his half-awake form to her car.

Within minutes, she's speeding to the hospital, unconcerned by the traffic rules she's breaking.

What's the point of living safely if the only risk she wants to take is in danger of passing her by altogether?

* * *

"Bren, what's wrong?"

"Where is he, Dr. B?"

"Is everything alright?"

"How are you feeling, Dr. Brennan?"

She shots a tight smile at Angela, Jack and Cam, glares at Sweets and sinks down into a plastic chair.

"He's burning up," She starts slowly, disbelievingly. "The doctor says if he doesn't stop, he's at risk of going into a coma."

Silence…as the fact slowly sinks in.

Silence…as they all surreptitiously sneak a glance at her.

Silence…as Angela wraps her arms around Brennan's small form and rubs soothing patterns on her back, as Brennan finally deals with her grief and lets loose a sob.

Silence…as the doctor enters the waiting room with an uneasy look on their face, slowly taking note of each and every one of them.

"Family of Seeley Booth?"

* * *

It's a mess.

Rebecca is out of town with Parker and to the best of their knowledge, no family member of Booth's resides in Washington.

Brennan finally breaks down and starts threatening the doctor, yelling at him in disgust that there's more than one type of family and that they're his loved ones and how can the doctor be blind enough to _not_ see that?

Eventually, Booth's neurologist comes down to check out the commotion and within minutes, everything is sorted out.

Now she's in here, holding on to Booth's still hand, feeling an uneasy sense of déjà vu at her surroundings. Seeing him like this _again_, so frail…so weak…she's not sure which is worse: not being able to see him or seeing him like _this_.

The others have all gone home, trying to fit in a few hours' sleep before they have to wake up and take it all in stride and go back to their jobs, their suddenly insignificant jobs.

The sun is rising; she can see it, can _feel_ the warmth on her neck as little slivers of ray crack through the folds of the curtain and illuminate the room.

She wonders, desolately, when it will be her turn; when her life will start receiving little shards of hope.

* * *

Being in a coma just doesn't work for him.

You see, Seeley Booth isn't the kind of guy who likes to daydream…well, up until four years ago he hadn't been.

Then suddenly he'd met this gorgeous, smart, incredibly talented and amazingly infuriating woman, the woman he'd come to know as his partner, as the love of his life.

Hey, who says that the love of your life has to be the one who knows it and accepts it and loves you back?

Well…that just won't work for him, just like a relationship wouldn't work for Bones.

So he started daydreaming of cases that would hit home, cases that would change their lives, maybe being called back to duty, or her being asked to participate on an expedition…hoping that something, _anything_, would set things in motion and bring them closer.

He doesn't expect it to be amnesia, but hey, so long as it works, right?

* * *

Four days.

Four miserable, nightmare-ish days that she's spent here, each day looking darker and darker, more miserable as his chance of waking up slims.

Her little request for a ray of light must've backfired, because now even the night stars are leaving her, packing up to guide someone else's miserable life. Because there's nothing left for them here, there's nothing left to guide.

They've given up, just as she refuses to do so with Booth.

* * *

Dreaming of a life with her had been painful enough for him when he woke up to realize that nothing had been real.

Dreaming of such a life, _knowing_ every single, solitary, painful second that any minute now, he will lose it all, might just kill him alive.

"Booth? Where's Teddy?" Bren asks, smiling lightly as she hands him a drink.

"He's in the nursery," He replies, choking up a little at the thought of his son…his _alternate-never-gonna-happen-in-reality_ son.

"Sleeping with Daisy?" She smiles, knowing exactly what her babies are up to.

He nods, finally taking a large sip of his beer. She gently sips on her orange juice as he gathers his thoughts.

"It's not real," He says finally, swallowing painfully as the words burn his throat and scald his heart.

"It's not," She agrees. "But it could be."

Her words catch him off-guard. What is she implying? That this is the future he could have? That he could just choose to never wake up? That either way, it would be the biggest gamble he's ever made?

As he starts to speak, his vision starts to blur at the edges and he recognizes, even recalls, the signs.

"No, no…" He moans. "Not now."

"Choose, Booth." Bren urges him, desperately holding on.

"Please don't do this to me, Booth. Please wake up," Bones pleads, hands clasped to her heart.

Who were you, he feels like asking them. I know who you are now, but who were you to me, who were you to me that you're filling up every single crack in my life, that you're in control of me?

The two woman swim together in his sight and blur and mix and give him a _really_ bad headache until everything turns to silence.

He snaps his head up to inspect his surroundings. No, no, this is not what he wanted. Why couldn't he have at least said goodbye to his family, his beautiful twin babies?

"Booth?"

It's that sweet, melodious, deadly siren call again. He has no idea what he will see once he lets go of this darkness, once he peels open his eyes and returns to reality.

But either way…will he live without regrets?

* * *

"Please don't do this to me, Booth. Please don't leave me," She pleads, a last ditch attempt to bring him back to her.

She regrets it now – every single opportunity she had, but wasted. Every single silence she could have filled with proclamations of never-ending love. Every single disagreement she could have ended with a tender kiss.

So she pleads and she begs, pleads and begs until she's hoarse, until she just doesn't think of herself as Dr. Temperance Brennan, coolly detached scientist, anymore, but as Bones, the other half of a puzzle in which Booth is the only one who could ever fill every single gap.

Bones, the woman who cried after finding her family, and Booth, the man who supported her in whatever decision she made regarding them.

Bones, the woman who'd been terrified and desperate enough to risk killing herself just to escape an underground grave, and Booth, the man who'd raced against the clock to save her.

Bones, the woman who'd kissed her partner in front of an attorney to give her father a half-assed Christmas, and Booth, the man who had perfected her entire holiday season by lugging a tree to the prison compound, lighting it up for her family, completing her Christmas with his presence.

"I love you," She whispers, not for the first time, not expecting any response.

And yet…

"Bones?"

Oh, God, she feels like saying. Heck, she feels like _praying_! And she's so happy and so glad and so relieved that-

…That she hasn't realized what he'd just said.

"Booth?" She calls out cautiously. "You…you remember me?"

**

* * *

**

Next up : A Year Without Rain, the final chapter to _**Stolen Memories**_**.**

**After years, this story is finally receiving somewhat of a proper ending. Hopefully, it's not too shabby…'cause I haven't written anything in…months.**

**xoxo, T.**


	7. Chapter 7:A Year Without Rain

**Here it is, **_**A Year Without Rain**_**, the final chapter of **_**Stolen Memories**_**.**

**I'm writing this just minutes after **_**Burning Away My Demons**_**, so please keep in mind that I've no idea if anyone's liking this…or even reading it at all!**

**I have to say…it's a little bittersweet to finally finish this, even though I abandoned it months ago.**

**Well…stop babbling Tiff and give them the chapter!**

**This is it, my friends…the end:**

**

* * *

**

STOLEN MEMORIES

**Chapter 7 : A Year Without Rain**

"_Booth?" She calls out cautiously. "You…you remember me?"_

_**

* * *

**_

One year later…

"Daisy."

"I don't know…reminds me of my intern Daisy, Sweet's fiancée." Brennan scrunches up her nose in concentration, gently running her hands over her enlarged stomach, tenderly stroking her unborn twins.

"But they're also your favorite flowers and it sounds cute. Plus, it's not a weird ancient name."

"Actually, it dates back from-"

Booth holds up a hand to ward off the unwanted lecture. "Okay, so it's an old name. Please?"

Brennan focuses her gaze on the name book, forcefully avoiding Booth's eyes.

"I'll have to think of it." She decides, nodding to herself, pleased on her little success.

"Look, what do you want to name Booth Junior? I'll let you pick whatever crazy, tribal name you want as long as the girl's Daisy. It's a compromise, Bones."

"I know perfectly well what a compromise is, Booth." Brennan snapped, her hormones acting up. "And I cannot condone your actions. You're clearly favoring the girl instead of the boy. We're supposed to be fair, Booth! We're going to make horrible parents!" Brennan frets, as she's been prone to doing these past few months.

"No, baby, don't worry. You'll be a wonderful mom. You've never gotten a B in anything before, remember?" Brennan nods. "So why should this be any different?"

"And," Booth continues, reassuring Brennan. "We're not picking favorites, Bones. She'll just a daddy's girl and he'll be a mama's boy, but we'll love them equally, 'kay?"

She gives this a moment's thought before slowly nodding. "I guess this is acceptable."

"Good!" Booth says enthusiastically, rubbing his hands together. "So…what do you wanna name your little boy?"

Brennan stares off into space for a few moments, distracted by her thoughts. Booth patiently waits for her to return to him.

"Theodore." She says finally, soft enough for him to have missed it.

"Hmm?"

"Theodore, but we'll call him Teddy…after well, Teddy." Brennan smiles. "If you hadn't hallucinated about him, you probably wouldn't have escaped the Gravedigger, what more survived your tumor. We owe him a lot, and so do our children. So…I want to name our boy Teddy."

"Teddy and Daisy…"Booth muses, touched by Brennan's little tribute to his friend. "Sounds like a high-end New York gift shop, but I'll take it." He teases.

Honestly? This is what he'd been counting on all the while. Bren had been right after all – his dreams weren't real, but they could have been.

And now they were.

* * *

"Booth," He answers, too distracted to check the caller ID as he navigates through traffic.

"Booth," he hears her calm, composed tone. "Based on the reoccurring pain I've been experiencing throughout this morning and the pool of liquid I've just discovered _leaking_ out of me, I've concluded that I'm in labor."

He could laugh out loud right now if he weren't so damn frustrated. Temperance Brennan, always treating everything as an experiment. _She even had to gather evidence to conclude that she's in labor_, he feels like shouting.

"I've alerted everyone, everyone being my Dad, Russ, Angela and Hodgins, Cam and Sweets." She continues her cool speech. "If you're stuck in traffic, I can arrange for someone, preferably and probably Angela, to pick me up and meet you there." She suggests.

"Bones, you're in LABOR!" This time he does shout. "With _our_ babies. Of course I'm picking you up! Just stay put…and err, get the bag we packed. Give me 10 minutes."

He hears her sharp inhale as she presumably experiences another contraction. "10 minutes apart," She notes to herself. "See you soon. Love you, Booth."

"Love you too, Bones." He finally chuckles at the absurdity of the whole situation before hanging up and racing down the finally-_Thank God_-empty street.

His future is finally here.

* * *

"How long has it been?" Angela voices this out loud, pacing the length of the small waiting area.

"2 hours, give or take." Cam shrugs. "Give it some time, Angela, labors are long processes." She soothes.

Angela groans, frustrated, and resumes her pacing.

"You gave her coffee." Cam states, shooting Hodgins a disapproving glare.

"Hey, I had to," Hodgins snaps, clearly irritated. "She was dozing off!"

"Hey, guys, come on. We're clearly channeling our adrenaline rush into anger which in turn is causing us to snap at each other or like Angela, burn off her caffeine. We should all take deep breaths and discuss how we feel now that Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth are about to be parents." Sweets calmly suggests.

They shot him a _look_ before Angela goes back to pacing and Cam turns to face Hodgins.

"And what the hell did you give him?"

* * *

4 hours and counting.

That's how long she's been in labor, and honestly, this has to end soon.

Because his hands are totally numb by now, and she's threatened to castrate him 6 times by now and demanded a break-up 7.

Right now she's alternating between expletives in every known language and claiming that men are clearly useless, despite what modern society may think.

Think a woman in labor is bad?

Temperance Brennan in labor is worse.

"Okay, baby, it'll be over soon and we'll have Daisy and Teddy with us. Don't you want that?"

"It better be," She snaps, breathing heavily. "For _your_ sake."

"Okay Temperance, you can start pushing now."

* * *

She's survived and suffered through various torture and pain.

And every single time, she's bounced back, a little more scared, a little more scarred.

But moments after hearing her firstborn, Daisy, cry, she's afraid she won't have to strength to deliver Teddy. Why the hell hadn't she just opted for a C-section?

"Okay, Bones, that's one down and one to go. Come on, Temperance, you can do this." She feels like strangling Booth, if she had any strength left to, that is.

"Shut up, Booth, just shut up." She orders the nervous man, who seems to be in more pain than she is. Well, tough luck. She gives his hand a sharp squeeze, causing him to wince silently in pain. "Just know that I would probably strangle you right now if I could."

_Great, now she's threatening bodily harm_. She knows that's what Booth's thinking, and she isn't bothered by it at all.

"Don't worry, Mister Booth," Dr. Saunders reassures the pale agent. "As I said, the only way for a man to survive labor is to tune out his partner."

Now she's pissed at the doctor, too.

"Give him one more word of advice and I guarantee you will live to regret it." She threatens in a low, calm voice.

The doctor stops smiling and abruptly turns pale.

* * *

As Booth leaves to get their friends and the babies rest in their respective coots, she smiles to herself, proud for what she's achieved this past year, for how far she's come.

Those dark days of Booth's amnesia had scared her so much, they'd put things into perspective for her. And that second time…losing him would have been a lot for her. Losing him without him ever knowing that she loved him would have been too much for her.

And so, the minute the doctor left them alone after declaring him healthy, she had rushed to his side and delivered an entire speech.

* * *

"_Leaving you behind that first case was my way of keeping myself safe. I'm a genius, Booth, I knew even back then that with enough time, you could have gotten to me."_

"_And even then, I wondered, was I right to do so? Should I have given you a chance, at the very least? So I made an agreement with myself, even though it seemed, and still seems, stupid to me. I wouldn't actively search for you or seek you out. And yet, I wouldn't try to evade you either. And if the Department ever partnered us up again, I would know, I would know that this was my chance."_

"_Having you come fetch me after that airport debacle…I was in denial, in shock. I'd never expected you to show up, regardless of my little deal. So I stayed the same, cold and distant and now that I think about it, bitchy." He'd let out a short laugh at that._

"_But I didn't actively try to evade you, just as I'd promised myself. I've never taken advantage of my contacts, Booth, but honestly, even back then, if I had really decided not to work with you, you would never work with me again, just like that. But some small part of me made me hold on to my promise to myself."_

"_It was crazy, really. No one but me knew of that deal, no one would know if I hadn't honored it. So I told myself, I would know. And I wouldn't be happy with that, because I had always been honest to myself."_

"_But the truth was, and still is, even back then, I couldn't have possibly hoped to be able to let go of you, Booth. I still can't. And losing you so many times…I can't risk it again. I can't risk you taking a bullet for me, or going into surgery, or getting sick, without you knowing that…that…"_

"_That I love you."_

_He'd been remarkably quiet this entire speech, knowing that any interruptions would have caused her to retreat into her emotional shell, keeping him out. But seeing her like that, so honest, so raw, with tears swimming in her eyes and a solitary teardrop trailing down her cheek…_

_He smiled. _

"_I love you too, Bones."_

* * *

"So…you guys decided on names yet?" Angela smiles, cradling Teddy.

"That's Teddy, formally known as Theodore," Brennan says, nodding towards the baby boy in Angela's arms. "And she's Daisy." She pointed out the pink bundle Cam was cooing at.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Angela gushes, fawning over the little infants like everyone had predicted.

"Theodore and Daisy?"

"I'm here!" Sweet's fiancée, Daisy, rushes in, cheeks flushed, with fly-away hair.

Sweets frowns slightly as he moves to Daisy's side. "What took you so long?"

"Traffic," Daisy mutters before turning to face the others. "So…were you guys talking about me?" She perks up, happy to _matter_ enough to be talked about.

Brennan frowns as Angela and Cam hand back the twins to her and Booth. "See, I told you it's too similar." She stresses to Booth.

"Nah, can't be. I mean, it's the exact same name, with the exact same pronunciation, _and_ the exact same spelling. Similar much?" He teases.

Brennan glares at him. "Okay, okay!" Booth relents. "So it _is_ gonna be a teeny bit confusing."

Daisy catches on. "You named your daughter Daisy?" She gasps.

"Yeah, Bones here likes daisies and daffodils. Couldn't exactly name the baby Daffodil now, could we?" Booth explains quickly to avoid any misunderstandings…namely Daisy assuming that the baby had been name after her.

Daisy's face falls a bit, but she quickly brightens up when it's her turn to hold the infants. "Hey Daisy-girl, I'm Daisy too." She coos when she's holding baby Daisy. "You know, a lot of kids might make fun of us, but Daisy's a great name." She defends.

Brennan observes as her family welcomes its newest addition. Watches as they trade anecdotes and jokes, fawn over the babies and reminisce of the past year.

Being with Booth in a normal, safe relationship, although dotted with small disagreements and odds has been the best time of her life. Realizing her dream of being a mother, of sharing children with Booth, has been amazing. Growing closer to her friends, her _family_, has finally rid her of her distant self.

It brings her back to the day she had begged for a sliver of sunlight to illuminate her life. Only now, she realizes that she has more than just small shards – she has the whole sun shining on her, warming her heart.

It's been a year without grief, or disappointment. A year without dark skies and thunderstorms.

A year without rain.

* * *

Booth and Brennan would later go on to have another little girl, Christine Joy Booth, in addition to Theodore Russell Booth and Daisy Pearl Booth. The little one was affectionately known, however, as Daffy, the other half to Daisy.

They never did get married, and no one ever questioned it. To Booth, their love had been strong enough to withstand three beautiful children and the test of time, and that was enough. Plus, Bones just wouldn't be Bones if she married him, would she?

They _did_ eventually serve as Best Man and Maid of Honor when Angela and Hodgins got married just months after the arrival of Daffy. Three-year-old Teddy served as the ring bearer and Daisy was joined by Angela's distant nieces as they scattered flower petals down the aisle.

Sweets and Daisy tied the knot a year and a half after the arrival of the twins, keeping it a small and intimate ceremony with barely fifty people.

Cam went on to meet a handsome, successful 'guy from the Egyptian department', Brody Smith, the poor guy who was teased relentlessly about his surname. To his credit, he took it all in good nature and eventually married Cam, joining their ever-growing family.

There were kids, lots and lots of kids. Brennan and Booth stopped at three, Cam had two – girls, two years apart, Michelle and Mikayla. Sweets and Daisy had a pair, Lance Jr. and Rose.

Angela and Hodgins, true to their word, had an entire clan of _five_! There was the eldest, Angel, a carbon-copy of her artistic mother, then there was Jacob, a paranoid conspiracy theorist, and the twins, Daniella and Gabriella, the definition of girly-girls. Little Brooke came the last, a bundle of energy that convinced Angela to stop.

Over the years, family members came and left, the kids grew up and flew away, couples fought and couples loved. Then came the weddings, with Mikayla starting off the party and Daisy reluctantly ending their era of singlehood.

Grandchildren were better than children, our gang discovered when the time came for their children to start their own family. You played with them, you spoiled them, and at the end of the day, you gave them back to their parents and let _them_ handle the damage you've done.

Years later, Cam passed, and they realized with a start that life had indeed passed them by. A heartbroken Brody joined her soon after. Months later, Daisy and Sweets were involved in an unfortunate and heartbreaking accident while on vacation, and so, they were back to their original gang. Zack had passed years back, unable to fully adapt to his new life.

Angela, Hodgins, Booth and Brennan made it a point to meet up with everyone every day, living life to the fullest. And for a while, this worked very well, because it was years later until they lost another family member.

Hodgins had been true to himself up until the very last moment, muttering about how 'they had finally come to get him' and 'it must've been the pie, it's always the dessert'. Angela stayed by his side for one full day after his passing, calmly talking to his empty body and promising to look after herself and not join him until it was her time.

Sadly, a heartbroken woman can never live long, and so mere months later, Angela, too, left them, and so Brennan and Booth found themselves outliving their gang, in a new, unknown world.

Well into their 90s, thanks to Brennan's strict eating habits and lifestyle choices, they knew that they hadn't much time left. But Booth, ever the gentleman, made it a point to outlive Brennan.

He'd brought this up one day and she had asked him why, though they both knew it was because she couldn't stand another abandonment and he'd rather bear the pain of living without her.

"You're the anthropologist, Bones. Gotta send you out early to scout and take notes, so that by the time I join you, we'll be all moved in."

And remarkably, Brennan did not dispute Booth's logic, did not try to debunk the possibility of an afterlife. Because after being with Booth for so long, they couldn't just end like that. True love never ends, and so Brennan knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that somehow, somewhere, they would continue.

Just weeks after that conversation, Booth held tight to Brennan's weak hand, promising her to join her soon.

And when her hand went limp in his, he slowly got up and set the house into order. He knew his children would come for their daily visit the next day, and so he wasn't worried.

He climbed into bed next to Bones, pulled up the covers and wrapped his arms around her still-warm form, binding them together for eternity.

He thanked God for all that he had received and loved and cherished, and thanked Him for stealing his memories, because you can't gain something without losing something, and his stolen memories had brought him new ones.

* * *

And so, my dear readers, I won't tell you all that they lived happily ever after, nor will I type the bittersweet words of 'the end', because true love never ends, and neither does life.

And no, it wasn't 'happily ever after', because honestly, when Booth was finally re-united with his family, he found them young and beautiful as ever, frozen forever at the peak of their lives, sarcasm and nutty-ness intact.

After all, Zack and Hodgins had a great time competing for 'King of the Afterlife', and that's a never-ending competition filled with entertainment for their friends.

_**The end…of Stolen Memories.**_

_**Their life? It's barely just beginning…**_


End file.
